World's Largest Earth and Space Science Meeting to Take Place in New Orleans, Then Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

World’s Largest Earth and Space Science Meeting to Take Place in

New Orleans, Then Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC—The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has
announced that its annual Fall Meeting, an event that regularly attracts more
than 25,000 Earth and space scientists and other participants from around the
world, will move to New Orleans in 2017 and in Washington, D.C. in 2018.

For nearly 50 years, the AGU Fall Meeting has been held in San
Francisco. During that time, it has grown from a gathering of a few hundred
researchers to the largest Earth and space science event in the world. In 2015,
it included more than 23,000 poster and oral presentations; hundreds of networking,
education and social events; lectures from prominent speakers like Elon Musk
and Dr. France Cordova, director of the National Science Foundation; and the
launch of a new XPRIZE for ocean discovery. Construction associated with a
major renovation of San Francisco’s Moscone Center that would impact needed
space for the meeting prompted the move.

“The Fall Meeting is a major force in advancing the Earth
and space sciences. If you look back over the last 50 years, the number of
discoveries that were first reported during one of our sessions or in our
poster hall is staggering,” said AGU’s Executive Director/CEO Christine
McEntee. “Maintaining that level of excellence is a significant responsibility
for AGU, and we are committed to finding new and innovative ways to help our
attendees share their science with one another and with the world. I believe
the opportunities that await us in New Orleans and Washington will contribute
greatly to the achievement of that goal.”

This world-renowned event draws
scientists from around the globe and across the spectrum of the Earth and space
sciences, including areas such as hydrology, climate science, ocean research,
space physics, planetary science, seismology, tectonophysics, volcanology,
atmospheric science and Earth and space science informatics. Attendees come from
academia and the public and private sectors, and typically represent nearly 100
different countries. In 2015, more than 7,600 students attended the meeting.
The event also draws hundreds of exhibitors and vendors, ranging from equipment
manufacturers and technology companies, to academic institutions and government
agencies.

Before making the decision to move the meeting, AGU
solicited feedback from a variety of groups, including a survey of its members,
to
learn what factors had the biggest impact on an attendee’s experience during a
meeting. That feedback was used to help narrow down the list of possible
locations for the meeting.

The meeting will remain in San Francisco in 2016, and plans are
underway to return to the City by the Bay, in 2019 when AGU hopes to celebrate
its Centennial in the newly renovated Moscone Center.

***

About AGU:

The American
Geophysical Union is
dedicated to advancing the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity
through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs. AGU is
a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization representing nearly
60,000 members in 139 countries. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and our
other social media channels.